Living on the Edge
by Nigel Yearning
Summary: Carbon-Steel: Despite complete and almost limitless freedom, Smugleaf wasn't sure on a few things. With Wotter on the prowl, that uncertainty changed into something she has yet to understand. When a close friend got caught by the PRA leadership, Smugleaf was placed in charge to execute the punishment. That feeling of independence could never be more stronger.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, this story was made for non-profit use only.**

**INFO: Go to my Pokémon forum or my FanFiction profile for updates on my Pokémon stories.**

_Chapter 1_

The old alarm clock buzzed its robotic chime, breaking Smugleaf's peaceful sleep. The chime burred and squealed into her ears like a bad techno-rock concert, Smugleaf covered her head with her pillow to mute the noise. The alarm clock squealed louder and faster in response. Smugleaf groaned, her head throbbed mercilessly from the noise. The Grass Snake Pokémon stuck out an arm and slammed the snooze button, killing the alarm clock for 5 minutes. Smugleaf glanced a blurry eye at it, the red LED numbers read 7:30AM. Morning had officially started. She stared at the clock for a few more seconds, a slender vine slithered out of the covers and wrapped itself around the alarm clock's plug and yanked it out of the wall. The numbers went dark and dead.

Smugleaf dropped the plug and recoiled her vine. She sighed and listened to the drone of the old air conditioners as they blow cool air into the room. The humming noise was so relaxing that it nearly put her back to sleep. Smugleaf fought it and won. She sat up and stretched her arms, then looked around her room. It was a mess. The concrete walls looked bad. Its white paint was covered with brown water stains from unknown sources. The privacy window was cracked, leaking air inside. Smugleaf had taped the crack up but that didn't seem to do any good.

All around her room, trash covered the place. Empty ice cream carton, cardboard circles from eaten pizzas, aluminum soda cans, even empty beer bottles that was left there weeks ago. Smugleaf sighed. She had been living her for a year now, and she still hadn't gotten used to the idea of having her own room. She lacked the feeling of cleaning up, and she only clean up when the trash gets in the way. The PRA used to have one of those rats that love to clean up, but Wotter – that Dewott bastard – beat the poor thing for accidentally knocking over his beer. The janitor Pokémon was gone the next day. Smugleaf wondered where it went, but at the same time, she didn't wanna know. She didn't care.

The Grass Snake Pokémon pulled off the covers, they smelled like wet garbage and urine. The white sheets were yellowed and covered with dried sweat, tiny blood splotches, and suspicious brown stains. It was like that the day Smugleaf first slept in it. Nobark told her the last Pokémon who slept here tend to fart in its sleep, which was why it smelled rancid the first few weeks. The smell faded away completely after a month, only to be replaced by Smugleaf's own farts. She giggled at the thought. Before joining the PRA, she had a diet of meat and vegetables. Now it was mostly crap that was stolen from people's homes and convenience stores. Processed foods had mucked up her intestines, creating gas that smelled worst than death. Smugleaf didn't care. The food gave her comfort and a full belly, she couldn't remembered the last time she felt hungry.

Another bubble of foul air came up, Smugleaf held out a leg and let it out. It was a quick flapping sputter. It smelled awful, yet felt relieving. Smugleaf stretched her arms and got out of bed. She kicked aside a can as she made her way to the mirror. It was leaning against the wall, sitting on top of a molding cardboard box stuffed with old Poképorn. Some of it were crude pictures of small cute Pokémon taken by Snapper, then printed off his cheap printer. The Patrat was terrible at stapling them into magazines but at least he didn't fail to deliver. The photos were just ordinary Pokémon in weird and grotesque poses. Nothing erotic. They all pale in comparison to the Poké porn from the web, most were unrealistic and anatomically incorrect, yet arousing in some ways. Wotter had somehow gotten a hold of a couple dozen magazines of the stuff. Smugleaf wasn't sure how he got it, all she knew it was very difficult. His work paid off. The magazines had pictures of cute Pokémon ranging from simple acts of masturbation to . . . urr, unusual behavior. Smugleaf had to sort out through all that crap to get to the more "acceptable" porn. She had skimmed through them, got some pleasure, then shoved it all in the moldy beer box. Now they were nothing more than padding to hold up a mirror.

"Ugh," she muttered, staring at herself in the mirror, "What a night."

A year of living in the PRA had taken a toll on her body. She'd put on weight, her eyes were puffy from fatigue, and her skin had lost some pigment to it. Smugleaf pulled back an eyelid to see how bad it was. Not to bad, considering it was a sign of a hangover. She pressed the palm of her hand against her temple, it ached badly. How much beer had she drank last night? Probably a lot, she had hangovers before but this was the king of them all. Smugleaf made a mental note to herself not to go to anymore parties next month, hangovers were no fun.

There was a knock on the door, breaking Smugleaf's concentration, _"Hey, Snivy!" _Wotter called out rudely in the Pokémon language, _"You in there!?"_

_ "I'm here!" _Snivy called out.

_"Get out here, Nobark got some instructions for yah!"_

Smugleaf sighed, _"Just a minute." _

She gripped her head and groaned, _F*cking little prick. _She thought but didn't say.

The Grass Snake Pokémon looked around for her knife and holster, it was sitting on the nightstand. Smugleaf relaxed. She wasn't used to taking it off on some nights. The knife once belonged to her trainer, Alice Stucky. It was a long machete-styled blade, long as her arm. It was made out of carbon-steel, sharpened at least once a week. Smugleaf made the holster out of Tepig and Bouffalant skin, the holster was designed to strap onto her back with crisscrossing straps that go around her chest. The holster basically molded itself to Smugleaf's body, feeling at one with it. A few months ago, it started feeling a bit tighter than usual. Well, she was getting a bit fat, but not noticeably fat. Just enough to where her body feels different.

Smugleaf grabbed the holster and fitted it on like a backpack. She shifted the straps to the usual spots, checked herself in the mirror to see if its on right, then opened up the bedroom door.

Wotter stood in the hallway, his face in the usual frown and angry eyes. Smugleaf closed the door behind her and stared at him. The Dewott stood taller than Smugleaf and most small Pokémon, and he _loved_ to rub everyone's face with that fact. Today, he wasn't in the mood to intimidate. Smugleaf know that if Wotter isn't intimidating other PRA members, then that means he's in the mood of making fun of their characteristics. Smugleaf kept a passive face, not even flinching an eyebrow. Dealing with Wotter was like a chest game, except any wrong move would land the King directly in checkmate.

_"Were you masturbating?" _Wotter first asked.

Smugleaf kept her cool without a problem, but deep inside she was already pissed. She tried her best not to show it, _"No, I wasn't masturbating."_

Wotter looked down between her legs, Smugleaf held her breath. The Discipline Pokémon got on her nerves almost every week. He sometimes call her a whore, because of her sexual appetite. In certain times of the month, he would get in that mood where he would ask Smugleaf to go in the back room somewhere where they would "have an adventure." Smugleaf made a vow not to sleep with the bastard, nor agree to his personal demands. Thankfully he can't use Attract, or else things would turn out badly.

The Dewott returned his attention back to her eyes, _"Okay, then." _Wotter got straight to business, _"Nobark want's to speak with you, if you have a moment."_

_ "What does he want?" _Smugleaf asked.

_"Beats me, maybe he wants to ask you out on a date. Or personal quality time."_

Smugleaf said nothing.

Wotter raised an eyebrow, _"Is that what it __is, personal quality time?"_

Smugleaf said nothing, she glanced off slightly to the wall behind him. The aging concrete walls were solid, designed to withstand bombs. They were also soundproof, nobody could hear anybody screaming within this building. Smugleaf shifted her shoulder, feeling the reassuring tug of her knife's holster on her back, then glanced back at Wotter.

_"Okay then, be that way. The Hoodlum Pokémon's too old for a slut like you."_

_ Damn it. _Smugleaf thought.

Wotter turned away and head down the hall, Smugleaf went the other way towards the exit. She half-expected him to come up from behind and tackle her to the floor. But no. He kept walking his own way and she kept walking hers. She found the exit. It was a metal door, rusting on its hinges. The fading EXIT sign hanged above it, not glowing as it used to. Smugleaf pressed against the door and stepped outside. Bright sunlight blasted from above. The door shuts itself behind her, closing with a reassuring click.

She then spun around and smacked the door with her fist, "F*cken, Wotter." she grumbled in human speech.

Smugleaf calmed down and looked up, the PRA flag – a cracked Poké ball getting ready to explode into a ball of light in front of a purple background – flapped lazily in the wind. The flag was brand new, recently crafted by one of the PRA members. Smugleaf forgot her name, she wasn't sure what the Pokémon was. No matter, it wasn't someone she knew.

Fort Wernher – the Pokémon Resistance Army compound – situated itself deep in the forest, with mountains on one side and a river on the other. The compound was a former military installation from some bygone era, Nobark managed to take over some years back. He built the PRA from there, eventually sprouting around Unova. The compound now house a hundred or so Pokémon. Most came from captivity, those who either had abusive trainers or were just about to get a new one. Some were those who decided to leave their trainers for their own personal reasons, usually from a lack sense of freedom. The rest came from the wild, either from curiosity or personal ambitions. PRA members come and go, mostly those who were around the bottom of the pyramid. They come around so fast that Smugleaf couldn't remember who they were nor remember their nicknames, assuming they have a nickname. Sometimes, when Wotter goes out on missions Smugleaf would venture out and check the populace. Usually the Pokémon were small, Nobark only takes Pokémon shorter than two meters tall, since they were easier to manage. Smugleaf saw some logic in that, they would have no trouble fitting through the doors of the buildings.

_"__Hey, Smugleaf," _said Snapper, Smugleaf looked off in the distance and saw several Pokémon were trying to get a crate open. Snapper stood next to them, waving her over, _"Come check this out, we got new stuff!"_

Smugleaf walked over. An Emolga, a Ducklet, and a Pansage struggled to get the crates open. The Grass Snake Pokémon didn't recognize them. They must be new recruits, since they act like new recruits. The three were foolishly trying to open a wooden crate with their bare hands. It wasn't working, the crate's lit held firm.

Snapper looked around and groaned, _"Where's Woody with that crowbar?"_

Woody, a Timburr, soon came strolling up with a red crowbar, _"Cool your jets, you paranoid bastard. I got it right here!"_

After an unsuccessful attempt to pry the crate open with their fingers, the PRA recruits stepped back. Their hands red and blistering. Woody took the crowbar and jammed it into the lid, then thrust it down like a lever. The lid cracked open, Woody sat aside the crowbar and pushed it off, _"There," _he said, _"Let's see what we have here."_

Styrofoam peanuts and bubble wrap erupt from the crate, the recruits pulled out the peanuts and bubble wrap. The Emolga popped some of the bubbles on the bubble wrap, giggled, then sat it aside for later. Woody stuck his hand in and felt around, then pulled out a crossbow, _"Check this out," _he said, _"It's a repeating crossbow, holds three bolts in the chamber. Look at that, there's a red-dot sight attachment on it."_

_ "Lucky day," _said Snapper, he dove his hands into the Styrofoam peanut stew and pulled out another crossbow, _"Another one, I think this crate is full of crossbows."_

_ "Nope," _said the Pansage, _"Check this out."_

He pulled out a .22 bolt-action rifle from the crate, _"This looks like a varmint rifle, our magazines might fit in it."_

_ "Smugleaf," _said Snapper, _"Come and pick out a weapon, there's a lot of goodies in here!"_

Smugleaf shrugged, _"Well, why not?"_

Smugleaf approached the crate, she uncoiled a vine and reached in. She felt around through the sea of peanuts until she felt cold metal. Smugleaf grabbed it and pulled it out. It was a .22 revolver. A tiny thing. Smugleaf sat it in her hands and opened up the cylinder. 6 shot capacity. The cylinder was empty, thankfully someone wasn't dumb enough to load it. She aimed it on the ground, checked the trigger action. Smugleaf imagined Wotter in front of her and pretend to shoot him, a satisfying click told her the gun was in working condition.

_"What's that?" _Snapper asked.

_"A .22 revolver," _said Smugleaf, _"__I wonder how this got in there."_

_ "Our supplier often puts random guns in the crate shipments, usually just one mystery weapon. I think that's the mystery weapon."_

Smugleaf tucked the gun under her arm, _"I'll take this and get it cleaned, it might be useful."_

_ "It ain't very accurate, Smugleaf." _said Snapper.

_"Then it would help me practice my accuracy. Did the shipment come with ammo?"_

_ "They always do, it's in a separate crate."_

Woody just opened it up, the Ducklet pulled the packaging aside and grabbed some crossbow bolts. Smugleaf wondered how it managed to grab anything with those feathers, she didn't wanna know. The Grass Snake Pokémon reached in and pulled out a couple of boxes of .22 rimfire ammo, then tucked that under her arm, _"I'm going guys," _said Smugleaf, _"I'll see you later."_

_ "'Kay, Smugleaf." _said Snapper.

Smugleaf took the gun back to her barracks. When she opened the door, she held her breath and listened for Wotter's footsteps. Nothing but the hum of the AC. She crept back into her bedroom and locked the door, then stow the gun and ammo under her bed. She would fiddle around with them later, right now Nobark needs her.

Just when she opened the door, Tusks – an Axew – burst through and hugged her. She was distraught, she was covered in cuts and bruises. Smugleaf shut and locked the door, then hugged her, _"What happened, Tusks?" _Smugleaf asked.

_"It's horrible!" she sobbed._

Smugleaf sat her on her bed, she ran to her desk and knocked down several pizza boxes to the floor. The first aid kit laid underneath. Smugleaf grabbed it and took it to Tusks, she opened and proceed to clean up the cuts on her face, _"What happened?" _she asked as she swabbed alcohol on some scrapes.

_"Wotter," _says Tusks, _"He attacked me!"_

Smugleaf pulled out a packet of healing powder from the first aid kit and mixed it in a bottle of water. She handed it to Tusks, the Axew grabbed it and swallowed a mouthful. As she sipped it, Smugleaf placed big bandages over the scrapes and band-aids over the smaller ones, _"How long was it ago?"_

_ "Thirty minutes ago, it didn't take him long to . . ." _Tusks voice trailed off, then she broke down crying again.

Smugleaf handed Tusks a box of tissues and put away the first aid kit, _"Did what?" _she asked, _"Tell me, Tusks, I can't help you if you don't."_

Tusks was one of the few PRA recruits Smugleaf knew. She met her around lunch during a small gathering, where a small handful of Pokémon gather around a random campfire. Roasting smores and drink homemade moonshine while telling stories. The two got to know each other after sharing a couple of smores. Tusks came from the Land of Dragons, picked up by PRA scouts months ago and sent to base. She recently left a trainer who she felt wasn't doing enough to take care of her. Often the trainer neglect to feed her, or even acknowledge her existence. Tusks had to live off of somebody else's food, she wouldn't say whom. Eventually she got tired about life with the trainer and so left, it just so happened that she was found by the PRA after getting a kilometer from the village. Smugleaf knew she was vulnerable, she was insecure and couldn't trust anybody here. The only Pokémon she ever trusted was her, Smugleaf gladly helped her in her little problems. Tusks was sweet and kind, but after what happened, Smugleaf wondered if she would change.

_"I know its hard, Tusks," _said Smugleaf, _"Tell me, what did he do to you."_

Tusks twirled her fingers and stammered, _"Y-you won't tell anybody about it, will you?"_

_ "No." _Smugleaf lied, he had no intention of keeping this to herself.

Tusk sighed, then whispered what happened into Smugleaf's ear.

The Grass Snake Pokémon's eyes bulged out of her head, _"He didn't."_

_ "He did." _said Tusks.

_"Did you get any warning at all?"_

_ "How could I? He was an asshole, he treats everybody like crap. When it happened, he ambushed me. Held one of his scallops to my neck and warned me not to scream. I __screamed anyway, and he kept hitting me till I stopped screaming. Then he done it."_

The room went silent.

_"You need anything, Tusks?" _Smugleaf asked.

Tusks looked up at Smugleaf, _"I need you."_

Smugleaf nodded, _"What do you need me for?"_

The Axew looked away, trying to think of an answer, _"I don't know, I . . . I just need you."_

Another moment of silence.

_"Okay then," _said Smugleaf, _"I think I know what to do, but you need to stay calm and relax."_

Tusk nodded, _"Okay, okay." _

Smugleaf pulled her closed, their chests touching. Their eyes locked onto each other in a fixed position, not moving a centimeter to the side, _"Can you keep your eyes on me?" _Smugleaf asked.

_"Yes." _said Tusks.

_"Think of the most positive and enjoyable thought you can think of, and let your body go slack. But keep your eyes on me, okay?"_

_ "I hear yah, Smugleaf."_

Tusks didn't feel the vine wrapped around her waist. Smugleaf had practice this to perfection, some hypnosis process she couldn't understand. However, it works. Tusks took it in, and a smile stretched across her face.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, this story was made for non-profit use only.**

**INFO: Go to my Pokémon forum or my FanFiction profile for updates on my Pokémon stories.**

_Chapter 2_

A few hours later, Smugleaf went to the command bunker. It looked just like the other buildings. Painted in earth-tone colors and somewhat camouflaged, it was just like the other buildings. Nothing on the outside says that this was the command bunker, it looked just like another insignificant building for the recruits. Smugleaf walked inside and approached Nobark's bedroom. She felt groggy and sick, her body ached from the hangover and the stress of fixing Wotter's damage. The Snivy wasn't sure if she'd done it right, since Tusks squealed a bit. No matter, she managed to fix Tusks's depression . . . Sort of.

Smugleaf approached the door, it was made of steel covered in streaks of brown stains. She sighed as she knocked on the door.

_"Come in." _said the voice of a Scrafty.

Smugleaf opened the door and stepped inside. Nobark Westinghouse sat in a chair, cleaning his custom-made AK-47. He had just oiled it and was putting it back together again. His shaking arm did little to hinder his progress, his strong will kept it under control. Nobark's room was the same size as Smugleaf's, except it was a lot cleaner and more organized. There was a bookshelf stuffed with reference books and stories gathered from a bookstore in a nearby town. Nobark was an avid reader, one of few Pokémon in Fort Wernher who can read and write. Next to the bookshelf was his bed, a simple spring-loaded mattress that was well made and a bit more cleaner. 30-capacity and 100-round capacity clips for Nobark's AK sat on his desk, all stripped of bullets. They all sat in a nearby box, which was "commandeered" from a military armory near the coast. A .22 rifle and a 9mm pistol sat nearby, all stripped of ammo with their chambers locked open. The only light in the room was coming through a window, the shades half-drawn so the sunlight won't blast right in.

When Nobark fitted the last piece back on his gun, he looked up, "Oh," he said in human speech, "Hello, Smugleaf."

"Hi, Nobark." Smugleaf replied in the human language.

Smugleaf sat down in a separate couch and leaned back, Nobark sat his gun aside and gave her his attention, "So how are things, Smugleaf?"

"I got a hangover that's killing me from the beer I drank last night," said Smugleaf, "the party was a little rough."

"How are you in the long-term? It's been a year since you first arrive and you looked like you filled into your skin."

Smugleaf was surprised by that comment, she didn't expect Nobark to notice the slight change to her figure, "I put on some weight, I feel softer around the belly five months in."

"That usually happens to some PRA members when they got here, usually those who don't feel like doing anything."

"I also feel achy on some mornings, I think I'm starting to love my own bed."

Nobark looked up at her, his eyes boring into Smugleaf's like lasers, "Be honest," he says, "what do you always do on your bed besides sleeping?"

Smugleaf smiled, "I just lay there with my legs spread out and the fan blowing on me, using Vine Whip to..."

"Toooo?" Nobark lead on.

She giggled, "Play with myself."

Nobark snapped his fingers, "There we go, you feel any shame from it?"

"No, I don't."

"Good, that's why I like you. You don't feel shame from doing vulgar and grotesque acts. Had you helped anyone recently?"

Smugleaf thought back at Tusks and her incident with Wotter, she thought about telling Nobark but wasn't sure how to phrase it. She decided not to go into details about it, not just yet, "Yeah, I had. The recruits look up to me these days."

"They all told me you were one of the most loneliest Pokémon they had ever met. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen you much. You were so cheery and groovy in the first few weeks when you first arrive. You were right, you had gotten soft, but not just physically. Mentally as well."

"I don't know how to put it, Nobark. I would sit here and spend hours to come up with something to explain it. But this is what I think," she reached over her belly and grabbed it, pulling up a handful of belly fat, "I couldn't do that before I joined the PRA. I had mixed feelings about it. Part of me liked it, because I was well fed and I . . . uh, am a bit guilty in my own little fantasies. Another part of me doesn't like it because one: I miss the challenge of finding my own food. And two: I don't know if I'm really hungry or not. I hadn't felt hungry since the day I came here. Is this a good thing, Nobark? Being full all the time?"

Nobark thought for a second, "I see what your problem is. You don't know what else to do with your time. You're used to spending it finding food and eating while out in the wild, nothing else worries you. Now you don't have to worry about it, but you're stuck on that habit. During your time with your trainer, how does she feed you?"

Smugleaf gulped, she hadn't thought about Alice in a long time. She didn't expect Nobark to bring her up. The Grass Snake Pokémon thought about it, and realized something, "She had me only eat twice a day, she wouldn't give me any food to munch on between meals. Now I understood why. Every time I feel bored or tired, I just throw a pizza in the oven and eat the whole thing."

"Had you eaten anything other than pizza and ice cream?"

"On some days I would dig into canned food the scavengers bring in, they help break some cycles but," Smugleaf sighed, "It comes down to this:I wanna do something, I just don't know what."

"Did you try providing comfort to some of the PRA members?" Nobark asked.

"Only those who'd been here long enough to understand the politics of this place, I hadn't talked to the new recruits yet."

"Denied any services?"

Smugleaf grumbled, some anger surged up and spilled out, "Only Wotter, I just don't like him. He's always mean, and at times he stares at my legs. Earlier today he just called me a slut, I've never felt so pissed in my life."

Nobark nodded, then looked off to the side, "Oh Wotter," he said, "that boy's more trouble than he's worth."

"He's a prick." Smugleaf added

He picked up his AK and sat it on his desk, then put the cleaning kit away, "Wotter's not always like this," he said, "he used to be nice. When I met him, he had a big smile on his face and he greeted me kindly. He used to be the most friendliest Pokémon I ever know."

Smugleaf raised an eye brow, "He did?"

"It was during my Pokémon battling days where I met him in a water-type themed Pokémon arena, I forgotten the name of the place since I don't pay attention much during those days. But I never forgot how he was like. He offered me an apple and a bed after I, uh, knocked myself out by headbutting the ground," Nobark snickered, "Somehow that never gets old."

"So what happened to him?"

Nobark sat back down on the couch, "My trainer drifted off to bed one day while we were somewhere outside of . . . What was that town? . . . Hm, I somehow forgotten . . . Anyway, he forgotten to return me to my Poké ball, and Tesla didn't bother reminding him cause he was such a nice guy. So I wandered out of the hotel room and out into the woods, wanting a moment of fresh air and see the sights. Just over a hill, someone had caged a lot of Pokémon and was preparing them for shipment. It had Team Rocket written all over it, which was surprising since it was unusual since Team Rocket don't have major operations in Unova. There were several cages of Pokémon laying around, most were unresponsive. But not one.

"Then there he was, sitting in a cage that threatened to break his back. I rushed up to him while the poachers weren't looking. Wotter was distraught, when he saw me he begged me to free him. I lock-picked the cage and got him out, I took him as far away from that place as I possibly can. I asked him what happened."

Nobark leaned towards Smugleaf, "He told me his trainer betrayed him and sold him for cash."

Smugleaf gasped.

"Tell me about it," Nobark continued, "When they caged him, they beat him up a bit and tortured him. Wotter claimed they fed him laxatives and shoved a butt-plug up his rear."

_That's horrible! _Smugleaf thought, she used every strength she had to control her emotions as she asked, "What happened next?"

"He told me he's forever in my debt. I ask where he would be staying, he said in a cave near the river. I forgotten what the river was called . . . or maybe I never knew what it was called. Why is that? . . . A decade later, my trainer died. I bailed out of Faraday Island with my AK-47 to Unova. The first place I went to was that cave Wotter mentioned. He was still there, malnourished but in good spirits. I told him my trainer died and the authorities tried to pair me up with another one, so I left to come find him.

"He didn't smile, simply nodded. He ask me what I was planning, I told him in finding Pokémon who being used by mankind and form a militia to suppress humanity. He liked the idea and tagged along without question. That was when he started calling himself Wotter instead of Dewott, he's been around ever since."

Smugleaf's jaw dropped, the room went silent. She couldn't believe that Wotter was nice, even how he gotten to where he was right now. She held her head down, stirring and digesting the information she just received, then looked up at Nobark, "So why is he being a total scumbag to everybody?"

"He couldn't let it go," said Nobark, "interestingly enough there were a lot of Pokémon like him, _right _here, in this base. Yet he beats the sh*t out of them for kicks."

"How does Wotter treat you these days?" Smugleaf asked.

"With deep respect, like he always done. But he was a far cry from his former self, sometimes he grumbled in frustration or don't show any emotion at all. I worry about him, I think he does things that he won't normally do. To come to think of it, I don't even wanna know what he does to the recruits behind my back."

Smugleaf thought about telling Nobark about what happened to Tusks. The question was, would he do something about it? Would he snap Wotter into attention and scold him for what he did? After hearing Wotter's history, she doubt it. Sure, he could kick Wotter out of the PRA. But that wouldn't stop him from hunting other Pokémon, or even tell every secret the PRA had about their weapons caches. Smugleaf held it back, and changed the subject, "We got a new cache of weapons today."

"Did the recruits try to pry the crate open with their hands again?" Nobark asked.

"Yup."

Nobark snickered, "I wonder why they do that."

"When's the next Pokémon raid scheduled?"

"Two weeks from now, on Tuesday."

"I'm going to see if I could help out with their planning."

Nobark nodded, "Talk to Snapper about getting some equipment, you handy with a sniper rifle?"

"I hadn't fired one before."

"Get a .22 rifle and a scope from the armory and practice with it, we're overstocked on .22 ammo so I don't think anybody would mind if you take more than your share."

Smugleaf got off the couch, "Okay, I will. I'll see you later Wotter."

"Take care, Smugleaf."

One minute later, Smugleaf left the command bunker and headed back to her own barracks. The crate of weapons in the courtyard was disassembled, the recruits were carrying the pieces to the back where they would break it down for firewood. The styrofoam peanuts were shoveled into bags and hauled off for recycling. The soft popping of bubble wrap sounded in the distance. Smugleaf smiled, some PRA soldiers were going to keep themselves occupied for the rest of the day.

She sat down on a bench and sat back, staring at the forest in the background. Smugleaf sighed, she wondered what kind of raid that was coming up. Often the PRA does raids on human civilization, usually warehouses and Pokémon Centers for supplies and medicine. The raids were often silent, suppressors used on any firearms. Crossbows heavily used. Sometimes the power gets cut if the police would be a concern. Electric-types handle cutting the power. Fire-types handle the pyrotechnics. Water-types handle support. Grass-types do the carrying. A Ghost or Dark-type handle creating the fog of war. Fighting-types also do the carrying . . . Hmm, how many Pokémon types were there?

Smugleaf seen movies where the good or bad guy use sniper rifles to do clean kills, sometimes creative. A lot of the time messy. How would she fair with a sniper rifle? How would she get a bullet into her target with two hundred meters of space between them? She barely touched guns. Guns were complicated pieces of metal. So many moving parts, high maintenance, and requires ammo. No ammo, no use. Now a knife was a simple piece of metal, no moving parts, quite a useful tool. Smugleaf can trust the cheapest knife rather than the most expensive gun. She could tell when a kill was made with it a hundred percent of the time, not with guns.

Her mind soon went blank. Smugleaf forgotten how long she was sitting there, she snapped out of it when someone dropped a glass jar or something. She got up from the bench and head back to the barracks, Smugleaf went in. Just when she was about to walk into her room, a hand seized her by the throat. She tried to scream, but it clamped tight over her airway. Smugleaf felt her blood run cold when she heard Wotter's angry voice,

_"There you are, you little troublemaker!"_

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, this story was made for non-profit use only.**

**INFO: Go to my Pokémon forum or my FanFiction profile for updates on my Pokémon stories.**

_Chapter 3_

Smugleaf kicked her legs as Wotter held her up to eye level. She didn't realize how strong he was up to this point. His hand not only clamped her airway, she could feel her blood vessels clamped as well. Smugleaf tried not to panic, but the shock made her lose control.

_"I wonder__ed__ what had happened with Tusks after I dealt with her," _Wotter spoke, _"So it's true you are a bi-sexual after all."_

He slammed Smugleaf against the wall and tossed her down the hall, she flopped on her belly and somersaulted before landing on her back. Smugleaf gasped in air. Her body shook to the core, she rolled on her stomach and tried to crawl away. But Wotter came up and stomped on her back, her knife and holster jamming into her spine. The Discipline Pokémon grabbed her by the tail and dragged her into an empty room, then locked the door behind them. Smugleaf was trapped, trapped and scared. She couldn't reach for her knife, part of her brain frozed. She just laid there, trying not to hyperventilate as Wotter kneel over her.

_"So what are you," _he asked, his nose almost touching Smugleaf's, _"really?"_

He pressed his hand against Smugleaf's belly, then shifted it down to her leg and squeezed it, _"You were more stronger when I'd met you," _he said, _"Now you'd __gone soft, I can feel it."_

Smugleaf knew where this was going, he was going to do her like he'd done to Tusks. The thought of him thrusting himself into her would scar her for life, she wouldn't look at her privates the same way again. She tried reaching for her knife, but her arms were weak. Petrified by shock. Smugleaf tried to uncoil a vine, but its stuck in her back. The only weapon she now had was Wotter's past. It was a gamble, if it doesn't work then she was f*cked. Literally f*cked.

_"Y-you don't want to do this, Wotter," _Smugleaf croaked, _"This isn't like you."_

_ "You don't know a damn thing about me." _Wotter snorted.

_"Why? Why did your trainer betrayed you? He sold you to Team Rocket, sure. But why did he sold you, what_ made _him turn against you?"_

Wotter glared at her, Smugleaf felt his eyes burn into hers. Any stronger and he might do laser eye surgery. The Dewott picked up one of his scallops from his navy blue pallet, a big sky-blue plasma blade, stretching almost a meter long, came out like a lightsaber. It was Razor Shell, and a powerful one. Though the side of the blade couldn't slice through flesh, the point could go straight through Smugleaf like she was butter. Wotter took the Razor Shell and slammed it into the concrete near Smugleaf's head, pebbles and grit pelt her face as the blade dug into the concrete.

_"See this Razor Shell?" _he asked, _"I was in the middle of a battle when I accidentally l__ost my grip__. F*cken Gigalith knocked me on my ass. The blade flung out and sliced a gash through my trainer's leg, the match was called off and he went to the emergency room.__ It never restarted._

_ "He blamed me for what happened, didn't even look at me when I visited him at the Pokémon Center. When he got home, he trapped me in a corner, __saying 'I'll show you who's in charge, you __f*cking__ otter!'" _Wotter sighed, he relaxed and withdrew the Razor Shell. The blade disappeared as he placed the scallop back on his pallet, _"I didn't understand what was happening, I begged my trainer for mercy while I was on my knees. I didn't mean to hurt him, I didn't wanna hurt him. I only wish I can tell him that._

_ "But I don't think it would've matter. He proceed to beat me with his fists. It wasn't that bad, he wasn't an expert fighter. Then he pulled a move I hadn't thought he would do. He crammed a fist full of Epson salt down my throat and plugged my butt-hole with a rag. The pain was just..."_

Wotter stumbled back and landed on his rear, Smugleaf saw the transformation. He went from asshole to nice guy in a split second. The Snivy flex her arms, she was regaining movement in them.

_"I didn't tell Nobark everything. The politics of the PRA is harsh enough as it is, I told him I was tortured but not by whom. I didn't tell him my trainer later locked me in the room with my mess, I spent an entire night thinking that this was all just a dream. But it wasn't. You have to understand that I __was young, I was just 6 months old at the time. I evolved fast, which was why my trainer kept me around. He never really liked me. I think he hated me from the start, but I never hated him and I _still _never hated him. I blamed myself for what happened, I felt like I deserved it."_

Then he turned back from nice guy to asshole, _"So why do you even f*cking care?"_

_ "You're not the only one, Wotter," _Smugleaf told him, _"__There's many Pokémon who suffered just like you, __the way you use your power to dominate a few of them is hurting them more than your trainer ever hurt you. They came here to start a new life, you went with Nobark's idea to start a new life. So why do you hit the recruits for their small foibles, and why did you raped Tusks?"_

Wotter got up and grabbed Smugleaf by the neck, but not as tightly this time. He thrust her face to his and says, _"You can answer that question, you fat slob."_

Wotter dropped her on the floor and walked away, Smugleaf didn't realized he was gone till the door slammed behind him. She was all alone in the room. Smugleaf listened to her own breathing and waited for a few minutes, she then got up and peaked out into the hall. Wotter was nowhere in sight. She carefully crept down the hall back into her room, Smugleaf locked the door and laid down on her bed. The Snivy stared at the ceiling, listening to the hum of the air conditioner as her nerves calmed down. That was close, he had his hand _next _to that sensitive area. She grabbed it, making sure Wotter hadn't touched it. He hadn't. Smugleaf flung her arms out and relaxed, that area was _her _toy only and nobody elses. A hot tear trailed down her cheek. She got lucky, dumb luck saved her body from being used. Now that begs the question:

Why did Wotter want to do _it_?

Smugleaf searched her mind for anything that might tell her the answer. She sorted through her past, sorted through what she knew about Wotter's past, and try to remember any clues she might had seen in the past few weeks. She couldn't think of anything, so much was going through her mind that the answer simply defied her. Smugleaf knew it was there, somewhere it was there. But where? Trying to find a needle in a haystack was one thing but finding a single thought in a network of brain cells was next to impossible. That network was big enough to build a bridge to the moon and back, looking at everything would get her nowhere.

The Snivy got up and opened her mini fridge. It was stuffed with cans of beer and coke, some pizza leftovers, and half-eaten ice cream. Smugleaf grabbed the rest of the pizza leftovers and shoved it in the microwave, while that cooked she popped a coke can and sipped it. The strong carbonic taste reinvigorated her, clearing her mind from most of the stress. The coke did its job, she felt she was on to something.

The microwave beeped and shut off, Smugleaf grabbed the leftover pizza and sat back down on her bed. She stared at the corner of her room, sipping the coke while taking an occasional bite out of the pizza, "Now what was it," Smugleaf asked the ceiling in human speech, "Just . . . why?"

Then it hit her.

Smugleaf remembered all those quality time she spent with all those Pokémon before she joined the Pokémon Resistance Army. They didn't make fun love with their own free will, she had to hit them with Attract to get them to cooperate. Then she canceled it off with her...

Smugleaf checked if her knife was still there, the touch of it gave her the answer, _Sh*t_, she said, almost dropping her coke on the floor.

The answer was obvious. They both had a few things in common. It was all the same, yet she was gentle and he was rough. The recruits and all those wild Pokémon liked Smugleaf because she gave them unconditional love, but they fear Wotter because he did the opposite. _It _was all the same! Just a different strategy and what not. Smugleaf finished her pizza and washed it down with coke. She coughed, accidentally breathing some of the coke in. Smugleaf sat it aside and cleared her airway, then took a deep breath.

"Oh, Alice," she asked the ceiling in despair, "what has become of your little Smugleaf?"

There was a knock on the door, snapping Smugleaf out of her little moment, _"Who is it?" _she asked in Pokémon speech.

_"It's me, Tusks."_

Smugleaf got up and opened the door, Tusk ran inside as she shut the door behind her, _"I saw Wotter storm out of the barracks," _the Axew said, _"what happened?"_

Smugleaf sighed, _"He tried to rape me."_

Tusk gasped, _"Did he do it?"_

_ "No, he just touched me and called me fat. I talked him out of it when I brought up his past. __He told me that his trainer turned against him, shoved a fist full of Epson salt into his stomach and locking him in a room while having violent diarrhea."_

The room went silent.

_ "Is that why he's so mean?" _Tusks asked.

_ "I guess so," _said Smugleaf, _"he still feels the shame of it. He blamed himself for what happened, now I'm not sure if I hate him or not."_

Smugleaf lay back on her bed and sighed, _"I got a confession to make. Two actually. Word would get out eventually, so I don't want you hearing it any other way."_

Tusks nodded, _"Is it bad?"_

_ "Mostly for me, but I think you would get off alright."_

_ "Okay, what is it?"_

Smugleaf sighed, and looked at her in the eyes, _"I told Nobark __what happened__."_

Tusks gasped again, _"You did!? Why would you!?"_

_ "Cause you're not the only one, that was how I found out about Wotter's past. You ain't the first, Tusks, and I'm sure as f*ck you won't be the last."_

Tusks looked away, gripping her head with both hands as she tried to process what she heard, _"Oh damn..."_

_ "The 2__nd__ one isn't much a secret. Wotter knows, and Nobark, and probably half the entire PRA. I think everybody's going to get a reminder tonight or tomorrow."_

Tusks glanced at her sheepishly, _"What is it?"_

Smugleaf told her how she hit Pokémon with Attract, then killing them with her knife. Tusks pressed her back to the door, she couldn't handle the shock, _"Why would you do such a thing!?" _she cried.

_"I don't know," _cried Smugleaf, _"I was so messed up. I lost everything! The only difference between me and Wotter was that I never had them suffer such torment, it was peaceful for them in the end."_

_ "But, eating them!?"_

_ "I lost my trainer, Tusks. I lost my sh*t, just like Wotter did when his trainer defected. I was . . . he was..."_

_ "Look," _said Tusks, _"just stop, I heard enough!"_

Just before Tusks opened the door, Smugleaf shot a vine and grabbed her. She pulled her away, Tusks squirmed and tried to break free, _"Let me go!" _she cried.

_"Tusks," _said Smugleaf, _"Listen to me. I'm sorry you had to hear all that and I'm sorry of what happened to you. If you go back out there or even leave this base, you're going to be surrounded by all that sh*t. Wotter's corrupted you, __everyone will see that."_

_ "Let me out!" _Tusks cried.

_"Tusks, I'm sorry."_

_ "Screw you!"_

Smugleaf relaxed her vine, Tusks dropped back to the floor and ran out of the room. The door slamming behind her. The Grass Snake Pokémon retracted her vine and stared where Tusks had been, then shook her head. Crap, she hates her now. Smugleaf wasn't sure how she could repair their relationship. Would she looked at her the same way again? Would she-

The door burst open again, Tusk ran in crying. Smugleaf jumped off the bed as the Tusks Pokémon wrapped its small arms around her, _That was fast. _Smugleaf thought.

_"I'm sorry," _Tusks cried, _"I trusted you not to tell! You're the only one I could ever trust around __here!"_

Smugleaf chuckled, _"Technically, I told Nobark that Wotter raped someone. I didn't say it was you?"  
_Tusk jumped back, her tear-filled eyes bulging from her skull, _"What?"_

_ "Like I said, you're not the only one. Nobark doesn't need to know you're the victim, just only know what had happened."_

The Axew threw a punch into Smugleaf's belly, she oomph and staggered back, _"Why do you have to upset me like that!?" _she asked.

_"You need to get it all out," _said Smugleaf, _"If you keep it bottled up, you'll just hurt yourself more than what Wotter did to you."_

Tusk shook her head, _"You're right, I need to let it all out. The fact is I'm scared. With Wotter around, and all the guns and crude humor. I don't know what to do."_

_ "Look," _said Smugleaf, _"I'll be there for you, just don't worry. Whatever happens, I'll make sure Wotter, or anybody else, do you in. You deserve better than that."_

Tusks gave Smugleaf a hug, _"Thank you, Smugleaf. I appreciate it."_

Smugleaf wrapped an arm around her, _"What are you going to do now?"_

_ "Leave, I had enough. I don't want to do this anymore. Wotter's going to ruin it for anybody."_

_ "When?"_

_ "I don't know. Just when I'm ready, I guess."_

Smugleaf held up Tusks's head, the two looked at each other in the eyes, _"If you're going to go anywhere, try Nimbasa City. It's a good place to stick around, maybe find a trainer to bond with."_

Tusks nodded, _"Thank you, Smugleaf. For everything."_

After one final hug, Tusks turned around and left the room.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, this story was made for non-profit use only.**

**INFO: Go to my Pokémon forum or my FanFiction profile for updates on my Pokémon stories.**

_Chapter 4_

The day drone on without incident. Around two-oh-clock – or fourteen-hundred hours, as the PRA uses the 24-hour clock here – Smugleaf took Nobark's advice and practiced shooting. She grabbed the .22 revolver and the boxes of ammo and head to the armory, where she picked out a .22 rifle with a scope and took it to the firing range. The firing range was a crudely built firing range, built over a blank spot at the edge of Fort Wernher. The base had a range of 100 meters, hand-written markers marked the ranges on the firing range. Wooden posts pock-marked the range, filled with bullet-holes of previous shooters. At the 100-meter mark, a fence post – also riddled with bullet-holes, marked the max distances of the range. Beyond that was a hill choked with vegetation, willing to stop any bullets coming its way.

The shooting booths and platform were made out of scavenged material. Woody helped built some of it, the rest was done by amateurs. They were used boards and tree branches, scavenged from the surrounding forest and towns. The occasional nail stuck up like a thorn, Smugleaf had to be careful when walking on it. She didn't wanna get tetanus or a bad staph infection in the foot, that would be a death sentence out here. Smugleaf recalled several occasions where PRA members get leg or arm injuries. Despite the best treatment the Audinos would provide, they always get infected. They didn't bother amputating the infected limbs, they simply put them down. More economical and less of a burden for the militia. In some cases, a Pokémon would get a leg or two so mangled, they were killed on the spot. Smugleaf made it a motto, _Broken Limb Equals Execution_. She wrote it in chalk somewhere in the barracks, as a reminder for other PRA members of what would happen if they weren't too careful.

Today the firing range was clear of Pokémon, she had it all to herself. After setting up shop in a booth, Smugleaf hoisted the red warning flag then went out on the range. She put up paper targets, simple bulls-eye targets that looked similar to a dart board. She stapled them in several posts in front of her booth, all the way to the back. Then placed empty beer bottles she drunk on the back fence. Again, she had to be careful. Broken glass littered the ground, their points glistening in the afternoon sun. She didn't go near the fence, she just use Vine Whip and place the bottles. Smugleaf was in no shortage of bottles, she placed at least twenty down before heading back. She looked back and checked her work. Yeah, this would do. Smugleaf lowered the flag and sat approach her booth.

She started first with her .22 revolver, already cleaned she opened up the cylinder and inserted the ammo in it. Then closed it up. Smugleaf took aim at her closest target, using both hands to steady the gun. She held her breath and fired.

The gun gave out a loud crack and pop. She saw the paper shift, Smugleaf fired 5 more rounds. She saw two holes through the paper, nowhere near the bullseye. Smugleaf checked the target with binoculars, just to be sure.

_F*ck_. She swore.

Smugleaf kept loading the revolver and firing it into the paper target. When got around her tenth clip, Smugleaf checked through the binoculars. Bullet holes riddled the target, technically all over the place. She had a couple of groups, mostly around the lower left of the target. Figures, the revolver wasn't so accurate. Why should it? It had a tiny barrel.

The Snivy sat aside the revolver and picked up the scoped .22 rifle. It was bolt-action, one of the newer versions they had. It probably was once owned by a farmer somewhere, or was salvaged from some human armory. Smugleaf didn't care where the scavengers got it, only that it worked.

Smugleaf fed a clip into the gun and cocked it. She had about 10 rounds in that clip, how many bottles she snipe would count as 10-percent of her accuracy. Better make them count. She peered through the scope centering the cross-hairs over the bottle's center. Smugleaf held her breath, steadying the gun as much as she could, then fired. The round went nowhere near the bottle, it buried itself into the hill without hitting anything. Smugleaf fired again, same result. The bottle didn't seem to notice her presence. She fired her third bullet, miss. Forth bullet, miss. Smugleaf groaned, her shooting was so bad she couldn't even hit a barn door point-blank range.

Then she got an idea, _Hm, _Smugleaf wondered, _how about I aim a little higher?_

Smugleaf aimed at the bottle's mouth and fired. She saw the bullet in the scope for a fraction of a second as it crossed a hundred-meters of air. It struck the bottom of the bottle, the bottle exploded in a shower of brown glass fragments. Smugleaf smiled, at least she hit the damn thing at that distance.

She fired the rest of her clip. Smugleaf scored a couple of hits, the rest were misses. 30% accuracy. Wow, she was terrible. Smugleaf swore and ripped the clip out of the gun and slid in a fresh mag, might as well try again.

Smugleaf fired 5 rounds at a few paper targets, then 5 rounds at the bottles. A few more bottles exploded this time. One bullet struck the fence, kicking up a layer of dust around it. The bottles shivered, maybe they were a little nervous now. Smugleaf checked through the binoculars and saw she scored a couple of bullseyes near the 70-meter target. That was impressive, a noticeable improvement.

The hour dragged on, Smugleaf hit a few bottles and grumbled at the misses. Some paper targets get new holes, others seem like they were allergic to bullets. The Snivy pulled the bolt back and sat down the rifle. She groaned, if she had any hair on her head she would've ripped it off her scalp.

_This is going to take me a while, _Smugleaf grumbled, _I hate shooting._

She reached for the rifle, but with drew her hand. Smugleaf sighed, she had enough. She wasn't cut out to be a sniper. Pokémon were built to use special attacks and they often get physical, using a human manufactured weapon was an entirely new feeling altogether. Just aim and shoot, no effort or stamina on her part. Turns out aiming was a lot trickier than firing the actual gun. Maybe it was the kick of the gun, or the drop of the bullet, or the wind speed. Despite these drawbacks, killing something was tricky and tedious. It was so much easier to do with a knife, up close and personal. Unless she gets up close and personal with a gun.

No, too noisy. Not the same feel either. Smugleaf shook her head and grabbed the rifle, time to call it a day.

She gathered up the ammo boxes and her revolver and went back to the armory, Smugleaf put the rifle back where she found it and head back to her bedroom. She shoved the revolver and the ammo boxes under the bed, right in the usual spot. Smugleaf went back to the firing range and remove all the paper targets. She decide to leave the glass bottles there, for the next person who comes along to shoot.

Smugleaf checked her targets a final time, she frowned and shoved them in a nearby trash can and head out, _La La Land, here I come. _She thought.

_"Hey, Smugleaf!"_

She turned, it was Snapper. The Patrat ran up to her and said, _"Nobark needs you, we just caught a deserter."_

That caught Smugleaf's attention, _"Where do I meet him?" _

_"Courtyard."_

Snapper ran off toward the courtyard, when she got there she saw him join a crowd gathering around its center. The PRA soldiers and recruits got back as two elite units dragged a Pokémon to the center. She couldn't see who it was. Smugleaf strolled up and went around the crowd, she gasped.

It was Tusks. Her body was covered in more bruises and cuts than what Wotter ever done to her. One of her legs looked like it was twisted the wrong way. Smugleaf realized it was broken, it was a death sentence. She stood by and watched as the elite guards dropped Tusks before the crowd. The Axew got to her knees, no doubt she was in serious pain. Tusks whimpered under her breath, trying not to cry.

Nobark strolled up, with Wotter by his side. Wotter seemed seriously pissed, but Nobark kept his cool. Smugleaf strolled up by Nobark side and asked in human speech, "What's going on?"

"We caught Tusks stealing some food from the pantry," said Nobark, "Snapper caught her as she was leaving, she dropped everything and ran off into the woods. Poor thing tripped on a log and broke her leg."

"What's going to happen to her?" Smugleaf asked.

Nobark sat his hand on her shoulder and sighed, "You know what happens when a Pokémon get a broken leg, but this isn't the case."

Wotter glared at Smugleaf, his eyes burning with rage. Smugleaf turned away, pretending not to notice. The three strolled up before the crowd, Nobark stepped up and spoke in Pokémon speech, _"Fellow members of the Pokémon Resistance Army," _he began, _"thank you all for coming. Today, we just caught ourselves a traitor, who tried to steal from _our_ food supply and run off into the countryside. This Axew betrayed us my brethren, betrayed our trust! Betrayed us for her own selfish purposes!"_

The crowd booed, enraged. They called out death threats, wanting to lynch Tusks up in a tree. Smugleaf stood there with a passive face. Inside, she was horrified. These were the same Pokémon who showed a happy face and care for one another, but do they have any sympathy when one decides to leave? Smugleaf know the rules. Deserters spend time in the jail for an unknown period of time, Tusks would have gotten that chance. However she broke her leg, and that means death, regardless if she's let off the hook. Tusks sat there, dripping tears in the dirt of the courtyard. Smugleaf just stared in silent sympathy, this was a Pokémon who trusted her. Tusks trusted her, Smugleaf wasn't about to let her friend suffer in the hands of Pokémon who hate her.

_"The penalty for treason is death," _said Nobark, _"right here, right now."_

Smugleaf touched Nobark's arm and whispered into his ear, "I'll do it, I'll put her out of her misery."

Nobark looked at her, "You?"

"I'm Tusks's only friend, if it was anyone putting her down it should be someone she liked. She's a mess, Nobark. I promised her I'll ease her suffering."

Nobark nodded, "So how do you want to do it?"

Smugleaf considered her options. She would use a gun, her knife, or vine whip. If she would use a gun and shoot Tusks in the back of her head, she would gain prestige from Nobark. If she would use her knife, and sink the blade into Tusks's brain stem, she would gain prestige from the PRA. If she were to snap Tusks's neck with Vine Whip, she would gain prestige from Wotter. Smugleaf knew how to play the game. Knife kills impress everybody, Wotter loved seeing Pokémon getting their necks snapped, and Nobark liked doing executions with firing squads. Smugleaf saw previous executions before. Each one was different, and each one had a noticeable effect on everybody. Smugleaf studied their reactions, made mental notes out of it. Sometimes she had to do executions herself, and she had a choice on who to impress.

Today, it looked like she needed to improve her relationship with Wotter. He was pissed at her, somehow he found out that Tusks told Smugleaf that he raped her and that set him off. Wotter told her she had gotten soft, Smugleaf wanted to prove him wrong.

Smugleaf told Nobark her answer, "I'll use Vine Whip."

"Make it quick," said Nobark, "these Pokémon have important tasks today."

Smugleaf walked up to Tusks and placed her hand on her head, _"Any last words, Tusks?" _she asked.

Tusks croaked out her final words, they were weak and barely audible, _"What are we?"_

Smugleaf looked to Nobark, he gave her a nod. Wotter stood there, his arms crossed. His angry glare still burning in his eyes.

_I'll show you I'm not weak, Wotter_. Smugleaf thought, but said nothing.

Smugleaf uncoiled her two vines, she wrapped one vine around Tusks upper body and wrapped the other around her lower body. Smugleaf flexed her vines, they contract and squeezed Tusks body like a tomato. Tusks tried to scream, but her voice was caught. Smugleaf shifted her upper vine so it wrapped around her neck. Tusks's face was going blue, the crowd watched in amazement as Smugleaf worked her magic.

Like someone flipping a switch, all that sympathy, all that love, all that empathy Smugleaf ever felt for Tusks went away. She felt nothing when she flexed her vine, Tusks's neck let out a piercing crack.

The Axew went limp instantly, Smugleaf felt her muscles twitch through the vines. She was dead, the execution done. But Smugleaf wasn't done yet.

_"Is she dead?" _Snapper asked.

Smugleaf grinned. She turned Tusks's body sideways, tightened her grip more. Feces came out one end, a bit of Tusks's food out the other. With all her strength, Smugleaf pulled on both ends. She split Tusks's body down the middle, like a cable snapping under stress. Her internal organs and a bath of her own blood and half-digested food strewn on the ground. Smugleaf relaxed her vines and dropped both ends. Tusks's spine was visible on her lower body, Smugleaf could make out her intestines and stomach. The liver was quite obvious, but her spleen and pancreas was somewhere still buried in the upper body. She couldn't tell if it was disembowelment, or disintegration.

The courtyard went silent, after 10 seconds some PRA recruits passed out. Others ran off to the side and vomit, losing their breakfast and lunch. The rest of the crowd simply nodded and started clapping, a few even whistled in applause. Smugleaf turned to Nobark, he just stood there trying to process what he'd just seen. His left arm wasn't shaking. Wotter stood there, a smile stretched across his face. All that anger had dissipated, replaced by personal pleasure.

Nobark glanced at Smugleaf, his face still blank, "I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to," said Smugleaf, "I got the job done."

"Yes . . . you did. I think I made a good choice in bringing you into the PRA after all."

Smugleaf turned towards the barracks and head back into her room, she didn't look back.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, this story was made for non-profit use only.**

**INFO: Go to my Pokémon forum or my FanFiction profile for updates on my Pokémon stories.**

_Chapter 5_

Smugleaf laid on her bed, crying herself out. She hugged her knife in her arms, twirling her fingers around the sharp edge. She listened to the hum of the air conditioner as it blew cool air into the room.

_I hope it doesn't happen again. _Smugleaf thought as she tightened the grip on her knife.

Somehow she felt more lonely than before. Sure she had friends, but few of them were worth calling friends. Smugleaf wondered why she felt heartless when killing Tusks. What had happened to her that made her get what she got. The Grass Snake Pokémon sighed and stared up at the ceiling, she wiped the tears off her face with a tissue and tossed it aside. Could there be anything Smugleaf could have done to save her? Few things actually, trying to talk her out of it would've been a smart move. But why hadn't it crossed her mind? Was it the heat of the moment? Yes, it was. Seeing her feel betrayed made Smugleaf wanna cheer her up, she was Tusks friend and she hurt her. Hurt her bad. Without laying a finger on her.

How could she have done it? How _did _she do it? Telling Tusks the truth had hurt her more than it done her good. Obviously she wasn't ready for the truth, maybe she couldn't bear the truth at all. Truth and lies were so frustratingly complex that sometimes, it's best not to form an opinion at all. Getting caught up in high water was no fun, especially when you don't have the strength to handle it.

Someone knocked on her bedroom door, Smugleaf buried her head under her pillow and groaned, _"Go away."_

Few seconds of silence, then the knocking came again, _"Smugleaf," _said Wotter, his voice sounding unusually calm, _"Open up. No, I know what you're thinking. I'm not mad at you, I just wanna talk."_

Smugleaf sat up and barked at the door in human speech, "What is there to talk!?"

_"Smugleaf-"_

"You f*cking asshole! You got Tusks killed and probably a lot of damn Pokémon before her, you should be ashamed of yourself to let them suffer like that!"

Wotter snickered, _"Oh, I see. You're giving me human talk, eh? What's the good of using silly human words?"_

"What could be worse than a human being?"

_"What?"_

"Come inside and find out, the door's unlocked."

The door creaked open and Wotter stepped on through. He had no time to react when Smugleaf shot a vine at him. She wrapped it around his neck and pinned him to the floor, Smugleaf got off her bed and shut and locked the door. Wotter struggled to force the vines off his neck, his arms couldn't break through, "The Grass Snake Pokémon is built for Vine Whip," said Smugleaf, "Struggle all you want, it ain't doing you much good. Don't try to bite, my vines have ten-thousand times more muscle than your arms and jaw combined."

Smugleaf stood over Wotter, then smiled, "So, you came here for a reason. What do you have to say?"

_"Look, Smugleaf,"_ said Wotter, _"I don't know what I was thinking, I didn't mean to be rough on you or anything-"_

"Of course you don't know what you were thinking, you were thinking through your penis than your head," Smugleaf drew her knife and held it over his throat, she could see Wotter's face turning white, "You laid a hand on me. I saw it in your eyes, you were planning to put your dick into something that doesn't belong ever since you laid eyes on me! You know, I can tell when you're trying to hide a boner. That fury blue pallet of yours ain't made for that."

Wotter blushed, _"Oh, you noticed that."_

"I don't blame you Wotter," said Smugleaf, "You, me, and every PRA member besides Nobark came here for one single purpose: To be free from human rule and enjoy all the creature comforts our hearts desire. Wherever Nobark's leading us, it's going to take time. These Pokémon need to be attracted to his ideals. Politics ain't simple, Wotter. It's not like math or strategy. It deals with opinion and common sense, not facts and power. Which is why it doesn't make much sense some of the time. What you're doing to these Pokémon, sticking your little willy into their slits and mouths, or that _unspeakable _area, you're sending them a bad message to them. You're taking away their confidence and inserting depression, misery, regret. They came here for a new life Wotter, and you're ruining their 2nd chances for them."

Wotter froze, his eyes locked in horror as they stared back into Smugleaf's, _"I-I . . . uh." _Wotter's voice croaked out and he shut up.

"Epson salt," said Smugleaf, "is that what your trainer used on you?"

Wotter sheepishly nod.

Smugleaf stretched out another vine and knocked off some pizza boxes and empty cans off a table, she pulled out a liter-size carton out of the mess and brought it over to Wotter. The words, EPSON SALT, was clearly labeled on the carton.

_"No," _Wotter pleaded, his eyes started watering, _"Oh please, no."_

"No, Wotter," said Smugleaf, "It's not what you think, its for something else."

Smugleaf held the carton over Wotter, he squirmed and kicked his legs. He panicked, screaming like a 5 year old child,_"Get it away from me! Please, get it away from meee!"_

_ He has a phobia, _Smugleaf thought, _excellent._

Smugleaf took her knife and sat down the Epson salt, she grabbed the knife with her vine and hovered it over Wotter's neck. With complex folding and knotting, she made a guillotine-style knot out of her vines, locking the knife over his wind pipe. It was just a millimeter away from slicing through his throat and killing him. Smugleaf hovered over him again, "You either scream, or moan with pleasure or fear, and I'll hack your head off with all the strength I got. I don't care if every damn Pokémon in Fort Wernher hears your death screams, you would be dead before they run in here, wondering what the f*ck happened."

_"Smugleaf, no," _Wotter pleaded again, _"I'm sorry, okay. We have a lot in common, I know our differences ruin a few things for us but-"_

Smugleaf pressed the edge of the blade over Wotter's throat, he yelped, "Tell me," she said, "did you enjoy watching me dismember Tusks?"

Wotter murmered something unintelligable.

"Answer me!"

_"I did, okay! I showed it, I had a smile on my face!"_

Smugleaf stepped back and sat down between Wotter's legs, she grabbed the carton of Epson salt and opened it up. This time, Wotter was crying. Tears trail down his face, "You know," said Smugleaf, "I think we understand each other."

She did it fast, it only took her 5 minutes. Wotter jerked his legs, holding back his screams as he felt the salt crystals being poured over his thighs and groin. Smugleaf did something with her hands that they would never done. Smugleaf smiled, looking away. It was like she was on top of the world, all these weeks and months she feared Wotter. Now she turned the tables. Ironic that he was afraid of salt. Sea salt, table salt, Epson salt, bath salt, anything chemical that forms a salt structure, he's afraid of it. Fear does things to the body that it wouldn't normally do to a rational person.

Smugleaf stepped back and looked at her work. His own body sweat made the salt stick to each other easier. Damn, it looked like someone had dumped sand over him. She didn't smear the salt to roughly, she didn't need to. All Smugleaf needed was to get enough on that he would need to _touch _the salt to scrub it off.

The Grass Snake Pokémon uncurled her vines and pulled the knife away, Wotter scrambled up to his feet and slammed himself into the door. He breathed hard as he struggled to hold himself upright, _"__Oh f*ck," _he muttered, "i_t feels like a grinder."_

He unlocked the door and struggled to open, his body shivering to the core, _"Oh, get it off!"_

_ "Well, Wotter," _said Smugleaf in the Pokémon language, _"I think that should be it for the day."_

Wotter turned and glanced back at her, his eyes still running tears, _"You use Attract on those Pokémon, bind them into your spell for your own selfish desires."_

_ "Yeah, so?"_

Wotter shook his head, _"You know they're going to feel pain when they recover, it's not like they're going to forget the experience with a simple signature move. That's why you've killed them, you didn't want to _feel _them feel hurt."_

The Dewott thrust open the door and ran out of the room, the door closed itself, leaving Smugleaf alone in her room. The Snivy slumped on her bed, staring up at the ceiling as several conflicting thoughts bombard her brain.

Did those Pokémon really suffer while under Attract? Did they _feel _anything negative at all? No, they shouldn't. They shouldn't! Not until the effects wear off . . . She killed them fast and swift, her blade made sure it was swift. Yes, they were surprised. Yes, they felt physical pain. But did they feel any _emotional _pain? The pain people feel when depressed or some other mental illness?

Smugleaf felt numb, she didn't wanna think anymore. Everything was just too hard for her. She reached out with her vines and opened up the fridge, then pulled out a beer. No, make that two beers. Smugleaf want something that would make her drunk enough to forget this moment. The good news was this, Wotter was off her back. Sure, he would be back to his asshole self after a few weeks or months. Back beating the recruits and such. But he would keep his distance from her, maybe treat her a little more nicer. Still, he was going to be grumpy. Well, he was always grumpy. No way she could change that.

"Alice," she said to the ceiling, "why would you ever leave your little Smugleaf behind like that?"

Smugleaf popped open a beer and drank it all down, the chill alone was enough to calm her nerves.

**THE END!**


End file.
